Body Control

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”

—1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Self-control is one of the most objectionable concepts for people today, because it has vast and far-reaching implications. In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul preached to Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Paul spoke to them about “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment” (Acts 24:25), but as he spoke, Felix became alarmed and sent Paul away. Why was he alarmed? He was alarmed at the content of Paul’s message because it had huge ramifications for his own life—for, according to the ancient Jewish historian Josephus, Felix fell in love with Drusilla when she was another man’s wife! He divorced his own wife and then persuaded Drusilla to marry him. Their relationship was somewhat of a scandal in the ancient world, so when confronted by Paul’s admonition to self-control, fear would have undoubtedly seized him because lack of self-control was part of the very transgression of which he was guilty.

Today, self-control is a foreign idea, a puritanical concept that is meant for “overly religious types” far removed from society. Many in our world today believe that we do not need self-control; we can do whatever we want, whenever we want to. As Woody Allen said after having an affair with his lover’s (and parent to some of his kids) adopted and much younger daughter, “The heart wants what it wants.” What Allen failed to understand is that the heart is “deceitful” and “desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus described all kinds of vile and evil behaviors that come from the heart,“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”—Matthew 15:19.

The “heart” sometimes means the totality of our being, and when Jesus spoke of the kinds of behavior that come from the heart, He wasn’t describing our literal heart, but the core of our being that is corrupted and stained by sin. This is the “flesh” (Romans 7:1-25) that Paul writes about and the fallen “desires” that James described (James 1:14).

If our heart is so bad, then how can we find a way out? How can our heart sickness be cured? The only answer is found through God’s direct intervention by His giving to us His Spirit. It is only through the Spirit that the chains to our flesh are broken and we are given a new heart (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26). The Spirit then enables us to have self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit—that is, it is evidence that God’s Spirit is within us (Galatians 5:23). We no longer are slaves to our fallen flesh! We can do what God wants us to do, and do not have to do what our flesh so craves!

Paul understood this concept, which is why he wrote our passage for today. We no longer have to be slaves to our biological impulses, but we can control our bodies in holiness and honor, avoiding the sexual immorality that so easily destroys lives. We can avoid sexual immorality by learning to control our minds, our thoughts, our actions—making sure to avoid any situation that could cause us to sin, flee from sin when it does come, and cultivate the types of relationships that are right and proper in the sight of God.

Do you feel as if you are a slave to sin? Especially sexual sin? God can free you. He desires us all to be sexually pure—it is His will, and in order to make His will a reality, He has given us His Spirit to transform, free, guide and empower us. But His Holy Spirit is only for those who have trusted in Him! He has given His Holy Spirit to help you fight the flesh, the Word of God to guide you in your decisions and actions, and the ability to resist sin when it comes calling. God desires us all to be sexually pure, and by the Spirit of God, we can be. He transforms us and then enables us to be and do what God requires of us. May we do it for His glory and our joy. Amen.